£24M Haxby railway station a step closer with planning application submitted

Plans for a new £24M railway station at Haxby in North Yorkshire are making progress as Network Rail has said it has submitted a planning application and has released new images showing what the station could look like.Network Rail said the announcement followed a visit by the prime minister Rishi Sunak to the proposed site. The application is being worked on in partnership with City of York Council and the Department for Transport.The site on Towthorpe Road would form part of the York to Scarborough line and would be the town’s first rail connection in almost 100 years with the previous station having closed in 1930.In 2020, it was announced that the government would provide £400,000 of funding for further studies into the reopening of the station, and in early 2021 York City Council bought 2.8ha of land beside the proposed new station’s location.Debate about its reopening has continued intermittently since the 1980s, driven by the thinking that a new station would help reduce road congestion into York, including around York station.If planning consent is granted, final detailed designs “will be completed throughout the remainder of 2024”, construction is expected to start in spring 2025, and it is “expected” to enter service in 2026, according to Network Rail.The company said £3.5M has already been provided to the Haxby station project from the Restoring Your Railways fund which is designed to support the reinstatement of old lines and stations.Network Rail released new images showing a fully accessible footbridge with lifts and steps connecting two platforms, bike shelters, a 154-space car park (including EV charging), a taxi rank, a bus stop, and shared-use paths that will connect the station to residential areas of Haxby for those travelling to the station on foot or by bicycle.Ground surveys have already been carried out at the site.Network Rail project sponsor for Haxby station Iain Kelly said: “The submission of this planning application is a major milestone in the development of Haxby station.“A lot of behind-the-scenes work by Network Rail and City of York Council has taken place to get the project to this stage and we are ready to press ahead with delivering a station local residents can be proud of.”Kelly said the station would “provide residents with greater connectivity and offer more sustainable transport methods” which he said would “tie in” with the company’s “ambition to be simpler, better and greener”.City of York Council deputy leader and executive member for economy and transport Pete Kilbane said: “This is a significant step towards bringing a railway station back to Haxby.“We have been working closely with Network Rail to progress this project and look forward to making this become a reality.“If approved, a new station at Haxby would greatly improve public transport in the north of the city, reducing the need for people to travel by car.“This is in line with our Council Plan priority of ‘sustainable, accessible transport for all’.”Kilbane concluded by urging local people to “have a look at the plans” and to share their comments.Like what you’ve read?